While everyone was tuning into the Super Bowl last night, emergency crews were called to California's Route 38 in San Bernadino County where a crash involving a tour bus killed at least eight people and injured 42. Workers worked through the evening and are still at the scene early on Monday morning trying to find victims from the grisly crash. "Though the early death toll stood at eight, that number is expected to rise, " said California Highway Patrol Officer Mario Lopez.

Route 38 is mountainous road that runs through the San Bernadino forest and to the resort of Big Bear, making this rescue conditions very difficult. According to the bus driver, who  survived the incident, the bus suffered brake problems as it headed down the mountain. "It rear-ended a sedan and flipped, then struck a pickup truck pulling a trailer," reports the AP.

The bus is owned by a company called Scapadas Magicas LLC, and according to the operator, 38 people started the tour in Tijuana, and were coming back after a day of skiing at Big Bear when the crash happened. As we put the pieces together to try and figure how and why this happened, it's important to note that the company running the tour had no prior accidents. "Federal safety records indicate Scapadas Magicas had no reported crashes in the two-year reporting period leading up to Sunday. The company received a "satisfactory" rating in a safety review last month," CNN reported.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at aabadsantos at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Alexander Abad-Santos